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Star Wars Armada is a large game, both in scope and in its actual physical size. To recreate massive, fleet-sized battles of the films, Armada commands a great deal of table and shelf space. The large scale is exaggerated by the slew of expansions added since its 2015 debut. Most of these additions come in the form of new ships or squadrons to command on the battlefield, which results in a game that can get very expensive very quickly.
The upside is that Armada is highly customizable. With so many ships to choose from, there's sure to be something for every taste, from A-wings to Z-95 Headhunders. Almost any ship that makes an appearance in the films or extended fiction is recognized by Armada, so much of the expandability comes down to personal preference. Each ship has the same basic gameplay mechanics, so the rules will remain fundamentally the same from game to game. But which ships and expansions should you buy, and which can you safely skip? We've broken it all down below.
There are some expansions that are a better value than others, some that pack in more content per dollar, and even one that adds a lengthy campaign. These expansions were released in numbered waves, making them easy to identify for collection and listing purposes. We’ve done a ton of research and collected below the best content from each wave. This collection of recommendations was built using a combination of suggestions from various forums, BoardGameGeek ratings, and availability.
The short version? Waves 1, 2 and 5 contain most of the best stuff, while other waves and The Corellian Conflict come down to preference.
The Assault Frigate Mark II is especially important for the Rebel fleet because it gives them an option for meeting Imperial Star Destroyers head-on rather than simply pecking at them with smaller X-wing squadrons. The CR90 is also worth a look for Alliance players looking to add more speed to their fleet.
On the Imperial side, the Gladiator-class Star Destroyer is a good choice thanks to its maneuverability and ability to carry navigation crews. Also of note is the Imperial Fighter Squadrons pack and the TIE Interceptors included inside. These fighters can help the Imperial player keep the faster Rebel squadrons at bay a bit easier.
All Wave 1 Products
Without question, the Rogues and Villains expansion pack is the highlight of Wave 2, and arguably one the best values in the game. For a very reasonable price, this set gives you access to a huge number of iconic ships and characters from the Star Wars universe, each with their own strengths. The Millennium Falcon requires more than one enemy squadron to engage it, Slave One can damage enemies just by being near them, the Outrider can reroll dice as long as enemies are nearby, the Moldy Crow can spend defense tokens on allies. There are eight miniatures included in the expansion, four for each side. The point cost for the ships are relatively low, so adding them to your army should be a no-brainer.
All Wave 2 Products
After the fantastic content in Wave 2, Wave 3 feels a bit lackluster. Only two expansions were released in this wave, which is either good or bad depending on your point of view and the size of your bank account. The theme for Wave 3 is support, with the new ships adding heavy utility to their fleets. Overall, there’s nothing spectacular to be found here unless you’re a completionist.
All Wave 3 Products
The Interdictor can slow down your enemies and provides some solid control to your armada, making it a good addition to any Imperial fleet.
All Wave 4 Products
After a pair of smaller waves, Wave 5 feels more substantial. The highlights are the two squadron packs, one for the Rebels and one for the Imperials. Squadrons--smaller ships that travel in groups--see significantly fewer releases than the larger capital ships. This makes sense thematically, as Armada’s focus is on the large-scale fleet-vs-fleet battles, but squadrons play an important role as harassers meant to disrupt enemy formations. The two squadron expansions in Wave 5 offer up several new ways to do just that, from Corran Horn’s E-Wing Squadron that can fire while moving and ignore enemy counters to the Whisper TIE Phantom Squadron that can move even after being engaged. These two packs are very easy to recommend to players fond of flying circles around their opponents.
All Wave 5 Products
Wave 6 is another release with only two ships, but it brings some fun new ideas to Armada that are worth checking out. For instance, the Imperial Light Carrier can act as a mobile command HQ, and when paired with the Boarding Troopers card it can seriously disrupt nearby enemy ships by forcing them to discard defense tokens.
All Wave 6 Products
Fantasy Flight’s attempt at lending some permanence to Armada’s one-and-done battles, The Corellian Conflict sees players engaging in a series of story-based fights that form one long campaign. Unfortunately, this expansion stumbles on a couple different fronts. First, each leg of the campaign boils down to a single 1v1 fight, at which point you might as well be playing standard Armada. Second, thanks to the 400 point fleet maximum, the expansion greatly benefits those who have sunk a significant amount of money into the game, which may actually have been the purpose of The Corellian Conflict in the first place. In the end, this expansion feels a little more like a money grab than a significant addition to the game, but if you’re already deep into Armada, it’s a great way to make use of your sizable fleet.
Star Wars Armada is an expensive game filled with incredibly detailed, but fragile miniatures, which you’re going to want to protect. The box the core set comes in provides little in the way of protection, so a creative solution is a must. Luckily, there are lots of resources on this front. The Star Wars Armada subreddit is filled to the brim with clever ways to store your ships, most of them involving foam trays. Custom storage solutions can get expensive, which is something to consider, especially given how much money you’ve dropped on the game itself, but the cost is a necessity to protect your investment.
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